An Obscene Spectacle Of British Ignorance And Stupidity

Now before I start my review, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. This is in now way a review to take anything away from those on the show that do exhibit talent and are just using BGT as a way of showing what they've got. This review is more my opinion on the way the show is made, the votes are manipulated and yet again, the stupid are paraded like circus animals.

Simon Cowell, in my own eyes is the worst thing to happen to British television ever. He brings these terrible talent shows to our screens and tells us they're created with the soul purpose of finding the most talented individual. What is not told to the viewers are the massive sums of money made my Cowell because of the voting system in place and the subliminal manipulation of its audience to get them to vote for a particular artist.

I hate to talk about it as I would be just another bandwagon jumper (or not), but I think the best example of this would be the recent success of Susan Boyle. The audition and the way it was filmed and edited were contrived beyond belief as mindless simpletons who tune in are told to be surprised that a physically unappealing woman can have talent. Now I'm not saying Boyle doesn't have talent, because there's no denying that she's very gifted, but the depiction of her in this show is such a tawdry affair that it's really become frustrating.

The Cowell shows are something of a banal experience as he refined the format with his original show "pop stars" back at the start of the millennium. He realised that, with that show being such a success, he could get a massive number of imbeciles to throw away their money if he gave them a chance to vote for who they wanted to win. In recent series of his shows like X-Factor and, of course, BGT, the subliminal manipulation is ever more present. There's no doubting the business mind of Cowell and he certainly knows how to make a quick million or two, but there has to come a point where this mans morals have to speak out and say "the way I'm building this person up will end badly, and that's not fair on the artist." Unfortunately, Cowell doesn't appear to have morals and he significantly expressed this in the recent idiotic promotion of Susan Boyle around the world.

The idiot media is everywhere, and unfortunately, it will always remain a presence as long as people blindly participate. Susan Boyle was made to be this unlikely superstar, and of course she is something to enjoy. Cowell, on the other hand see's her face and her status as this ugly woman with talent as a way of milking money out of the viewer and he will continue to allow her to be built up for an even harder fall (which already seems to be happening). I guess my other main problem with it would be the way the first legs of auditions are filmed and edited. 3 or 4 idiots for comic effect, a good artist, then the underdog who's mother seems to be dying which is obviously a way of making the view feel sympathy as a way of generating votes for said artist if they were to get through to those rounds.

 The parading of the delusional types is also something of a massive problem I have with the Cowell shows, specifically BGT. At least for X Factor and Pop Idol the auditionees are just in front of the judges to be given criticism, but BGT actually has these people put in front of an audience of 2,000 - 3,000 members of the public to be laughed at if they are voted off. This blatant robbing of a person's dignity is horrid, and although they may consent to go onstage, they certainly believe they have gotten to this stage because they have some talent. The fact is we live in the 21st century. The only time in history I can think of that allowed for things such as this are the circus's of the 19th century and earlier with their human freak shows, in which physically and mentally disabled people were pointed at and laughed at in cages. I hate to make such a comparison as it sounds so exaggerated and unnecessary, but with shows such as this, we certainly seem to be reverting back to the middle ages in which we robbed people of their dignity for our own sick enjoyment.

It's unfortunate that this seems the only way for the many talented people of my country to be recognised as there are many talented people out there. I don't see a problem in people watching this for the genuinely talented auditions, but when you find yourself enjoying the bad auditions and finding them somehow hysterically funny, and then you really should reconsider your own mind. I would also advise you to not vote on these shows  as there are simply better ways for you to waste your money than on these pieces of crap.